There's A Monster In Me Book 1
by Lavish22
Summary: Veronica -Monanoke- is your average teen girl, but for some reason, she's picked out by someone to be 'enhanced'. This unknown puppeteer sits lets her do as she pleases. In an act of loneliness, she decides that others should taste the power she possesses, but fearing they'd grow power-hungry, she only gives them abilities she can control, and they aren't happy with this situation.
1. Intro

_**Sorry for the confusion, readers, but I decided I didn't want to give away certain details yet. The other books are to be put on hold for the time being.**_

 _ **One guest might be obvious, but that isn't the only secret I want to throw at ya'll. I can't spoil my fun!**_

 _ **Here's the deal, if one of you can guess what Shun's gift to Veronica -'Shika', I'll add 1 of your OCs into this series in their own dimension. Sound like a deal?**_

 _ **So, without any more delay, here's Ch. 1 of**_ **'There Is A Monster In Me'** _ **! Onwards and enjoy, my faithful, and probably peeved, readers.**_

 _ **:P**_

Have you ever been picked for a raffle, earning you this amazing surprise? Did people get jealous about it? Then, you gave them some of it to share, but they still weren't satisfied?

Yeah, well my troubles started before all that. Sort of. It's pretty complicated and hard to explain, but I'll do my best.

 **Friday, October 13** **th**

The air outside was chilly, the breeze helped it feel colder. You could tell it was autumn by the falling leaves floating down from trees and the ones that covered the ground.

My brown hair was swept to one side just shy of covering my brown eyes. I had on a dark blue jacket with hidden pockets, pants that looked like blue jeans but weren't, and combat boots.

I made it to school before the rain hit. Eventually, I spotted Estela, my best and only friend. Closing my locker, I snuck up behind her. My hands covered her eyes at the same time that she elbowed my side.

"Does this ever work for you, Veronica?"

Grinning, I retreated to a safe distance, letting my hands slide off her face. She smiled to let me know she was kidding, but I already knew that. There wasn't one secret we didn't share with the other. We had something pretty close to ESP.

"One of these days, Estela," I warned with mock seriousness, "I'll surprise you. I don't know when or what I'll use, but I _will_ find a way!"

Chuckling together, we walked to our first period class. I looked her up and down, noticing she was soaked to the bone. She must have not been lucky, getting caught in the storm.

"So, I see you went singing in the rain, huh?"

"Totally. I've been waiting all week to copy that movie, and I wasn't going to miss my chance. The only thing missing was my best, most trusted pal."

I puffed up with pride, knowing she was talking about me, but she couldn't resist an opportunity to tease me.

"Jane the Killer," she finished.

Faking a pout, I sulked in my emo corner. As I suspected, Estela rushed over to my side to comfort me even though she knew I wasn't really upset.

"I'm sorry," she said, hugging me and stroking my head. "I didn't mean it! You know you and I will always be friends."

"Really?" I asked, looking at her with watery orbs.

"Promise."

Smiling softly, I snuggled into the space between her neck and shoulder, and I assumed she smiled too. No matter what was going on in our lives, E and V would always have each other's backs, looking out for our own. Nothing could tear us apart.

Or so we thought..


	2. Sparkly, FABULOUSNESS, and BANG!

**Tuesday, October 17** **th**

It started out as a normal Tuesday: Going to school, going home, eating a snack before dinner, watching TV, taking a shower, and all. The next thing on my list was to go on my daily walk, where I took my phone not just for music, but to text Estela.

By the time I reached the starting point –where a tree had fallen over a ravine- I inserted one headphone in my ear, playing _'Sweet Dreams'_ by the Aviator. It was still cool, so I wouldn't sweat much.

As I was half-way, the spot where I stop and turn back around to take the same route towards the dead tree, my music quite playing. I gazed down at my phone to see if I accidently turned it off, but the screen wouldn't light up. Frustrated, I yanked my earbuds out with a huff.

"Fuck! What the hell, you stupid contraption!"

I nearly threw the thing into the trees and over-grown bushes. The reason why I didn't was the fact that my mom would kill me. It would not be done with mercy, either.

Laughter rang out around me as the air changed. It grew flat, the weather's cold-front evaporating. I gazed closer, noticing sparkles suspended in the invisible gases of the atmosphere. The glitter collected into a singular figure ahead of me. A boy around my age -15 or so- materialized. He had black hair and black eyes, wearing a Twenty-One Pilots t-shirt, black pants with a chain hanging from two pockets, and black converse.

Was I going crazy?

"Hey."

". . . . . . Uh, hey?"

"No need to fear me, Veronica. I'm here to help you"

I stared at him, expression full of hesitation and defensiveness. Did he think I was stupid or something?

"Look, whoever you ar-"

"Shun," he interrupted.

" ' _Shun.'_ I don't care if you magically froze time or drugged me, if you really showed up like some kind of Twilight vampire or a guy pixie, and/or if you're some sort of god, angel, or demon, but don't even try to fuck with me. Now, go before I knock your teeth down your throat."

He smiled as if amused by my temper, shaking his head.

"And that's one of the reasons why I chose you. I think you'll do quite nicely, indeed." He circled me, assessing everything about me. "You have such spunk. Yes, I've made the right choice."

"About what?" I asked.

He simply waved my question aside.

"That doesn't matter at this point in time. What _is_ important is what you want. And you want something only _I_ can offer."

"How would _you_ know what _I_ want? We've never met before."

I was baking up while talking, hoping that I could outrun this kid. A grin settled on his face. It was full of superiority.

"You can't expect to fool me, my dear," he purred. "I'd be forced to break both of your legs. To leave you injured would only add to your disadvantages, defenseless. Anything –or any _one_ \- could kill you. The places where you'll go demand you to be in tip-top shape. I would hate to see you lose so soon."

"What are you talking about, dude?"

"I know ways to bend the laws of physics that your so-called scientists have made up. You want change, to be free from modern rules and reality? Done. Rebellion's something you enjoy, so show them you're worth more than anyone will understand."

"You sound like a grade-A stalker, you know that, right?"

"I don't have infinite patience," he half-snarled before composing his easy-going persona. "Here's what I'll do for you since you're so moody: Take as long as you like to decide, but I'm willing to give you adventures, powers, and excitement. You can go places beyond your imagination's bounds. OR you can stay here, stuck in the regular life like everyone you know. Think about it."

He began fading from view, sending me one final wink before vanishing. The world around was turned on, my music blaring over my headphones. Birds sung, and the air regained its bite. As all of this activity reactivated, I stared intently at the patch of dirt Shun had stood on.

His options sounded enticing, but what was with his dramatic flair? I half expected him to shout out, _'I feel FAB-u-lous!'_ This thought caused me to chuckle a little. Next time, I was SO going to use that.

* * *

Over the course of the day, I did my regular routine: texting Estela as though nothing strange had happened.

It was getting dark out, the sun descending behind the buildings on either side of the road –for some strange reason, the buildings nest to the street were taller than those behind them. Don't ask me-. The weather was getting cooler now that the sun itself was off the black asphalt. My breaths came out in cloudy puffs like I was a chimney. Due to this drop in temperature, my cheeks, nose, and ears were tinted pink. Hardly anyone was driving at that time.

I was late, but it was time well spent. Instead of heading home once Shun left, I walked even more to think about my options. I didn't really want to accept it, though. There were too many ifs and things I didn't know. Looking both ways, I stepped off the sidewalk and began crossing the road. I was only 5 more minutes from my house.

What did he want in return? Why was he doing this? What if he was breaking some sort of laws that would get _me_ in trouble or killed?

A dark blue Eclipse came speeding around the corner, the car's headlights illuminating me as I was only 1/3rd of the way from finishing my way. There wasn't enough time for me to move out of its path, so I stared wide-eyed, bracing for the impact. Four seconds passed by like four hours. The driver tried to get control, but he didn't accomplish this in time.

I hurt worse than that time I broke my arm in 6th grade. Searing pain shattered my physically as well as mentally. The world stopped making sense, colors blurred together, everything taking on blue and green hues, and shapes distorted until they couldn't be recognized. What happened next, you wonder?

I don't know.

* * *

 **Veronica:** _ **Hello, Shun! This is where we first see this creature in my series. He's so smug; it makes you want to beat the ego out of him, right?**_

 **Shun:** _ **You could always try that again, oujo-sama~**_

 **V:** _ **Oh, that's it!**_

 _*loud banging and clattering noises in background, along with screaming, yelling, and gunshots**le author slowly steps up to the book, sweatdroping*_

 **Author:** _*nervous laughter*_ _ **So, they're back at each other's throats.**_ _*to the characters*_ _ **GUYS, PUT THAT DOWN!**_ _*to readers*_ _ **We're experiencing a dimensional rip again.. Please, ignore the fighting. They'll both be fine. I think.**_ _*runs off screen*_ _ **DON'T YOU DARE THROW THAT CHAIR!**_

 _*fighting slowly fades*_


	3. Cup-e-gee

**Date: Unknown**

"Veronica," called a voice that sounded like someone trying to coax a caged animal their way. "Wake up, Veronica. Open your eyes now."

Groaning, I pried my eyelids apart. I was greeted by a black void, Shun standing on nothing with a friendly smile. He was the only source of light that I could see, his cloths and eyes giving off a slight silver glow. His appearance was exactly the same as earlier today.

"Where am I?" I asked, still a little dazed.

"You, my dear, are the first outsider to be brought to Cupviji, a.k.a. Limbo, a.k.a. Nowhere. This is the place that was the beginning of us Xucmbij. Before any other dimension was created, Cupviji started to form. Upon discovering more places, we grew distant, greedy. Our world was torn apart with conflict. Literally, all the glory of the Mother Dimension was erased. Where we are now is all that's left of Her."

"But _why_ am I here? Last thing I remember was…" I trailed off, not quite certain if being run over was just a dream, but the pain had felt so REAL.

"You're right," he replied brightly. "A car did a hit-and-run, so I saved you in the only way I could: I erased your human heritage, replacing a few key aspects that will allow you move freely between worlds. You're welcome~"

My mouth fell in surprise. He made it sound like a normal event, as if people got pulled out of death by fruity emo kids on a regular basis. Maybe they did around him and his flamboyant 'Edward Cullins' race.

"Does that mean I'll die if I go back?"

"Most likely, yes."

"You don't know for sure?"

"Not a clue. As I've said, you're the first."

"..You knew that would happen, didn't you? That's why you approached me when you did. If you waited any longer, I'd have been killed."

Shun simply shrugged his shoulders, bored by the turn in topics.

"Something like that… Anyways, I took the liberty of choosing the dimension for you. I hope you don't mind." A vortex-like oval popped up out of nowhere, blues and greens blurring together so much that you could barely distinguish them from one another. "When you arrive, you may feel a little *coughalotofcough* pain and such and some.. _'mild'_ discomfort."

"Wait," I said, confusion not allowing me to understand that last part. " 'Some mi-' "

Before I could finish, he shoved me into the swirling portal. I hadn't noticed he had moved. My brain was confident that he was in the same place, out in front of me, waving with a genuine smile wishing me well. So who pushed me?

That question wouldn't be answered any time soon as a feeling not unlike vertigo made it so that it felt like my stomach was left behind kinda like a rollercoaster ride.


	4. I'm Not A Traffic Cone!

**Book 1**

 **Max:**

Too many cars. Too many people.

Me and my Flock were temporarily staying in a decent sized city to scavenge any kind of food we could. It was crowded, much to my disliking, but it made it easier to blend in with the masses. My wings started to cramp from the lack of use.

All of us were on guard, six pairs of eyes nervously scanning the area for signs of Erasers and Labcoats. There was no way we'd let them take us alive. At least, not without a hell of a fight.

The sun was setting, so we needed to find shelter.

"Alright guys," I announced, voice lowered to make sure no one passing by could hear. "Any suggestions as to where we can go to bed down tonight, besides the subways?"

Everyone shivered. We had bad experiences with subway tunnels.

Before anyone answered, loud shouts and sharp squealing car brakes drew attention to the street to our 6. For once, a commotion wasn't our fault! I turned around to see if any Erasers had spotted us. They had a knack for finding us.

A girl lay face-down in front of a U-Haul which backed up traffic. Honks and profanities were directed at the driver. The girl was a year or so older than Fang and I with brown hair matted and tangled. She was curled up as though in pain, her right arm bent underneath her body. There didn't appear to be blood, but I couldn't tell because a crowd was forming around her.

"We should leave," I said, getting ready to continue on rather than be an onlooker.

"Wait."

Stopping, I looked down at Angel. Her blonde curls were greasy, like the rest of ours, and her orbs stared up at me with fiery determination. Even though she was only six, I had learned to not make her mad when it could be avoided. You see, she hit the genetic jackpot. Not only could she read minds and use telepathy, but she was also able to manipulate people to do what she wanted.

"We don't have time for this," I argued. "Someone might recognize us if a news crew came and started recording the accident. Let's g-"

"Max," she chided. "We _have_ to help her."

"Why? She isn't a part of our Flock. For all we know, she could be working for the School."

"That may be, but she's different."

"Different how?" Fang asked, jumping into our conversation. "Is she-?"

"Like us? I.. I don't know."

"You don't _know_?! And you _still_ want to help?!"

"In her defense, she just got hit by a truck."

"What does that have to do with anything?" I demanded. "We've been experimented on, shoved into dog crates, and are being chased by freaking werewolves with anger issues! An injury from a minor bump from a car is a breeze. She'll recover eventually."

I know what you're thinking. _'Gosh, Max, aren't you being harsh?'_ Well, guess what? I have a family to protect. Of course being in a wreck is awful, but what could we do about it? Fly her to the nearest hospital?

"But-"

Sirens wailed in the distance, and the crowd murmured and recorded what was going on. The ambulance would arrive in moments. I could already see the flashing lights. The police would also be here shortly, and I didn't feel like getting questioned. I had to admit, however, that I respected the girl. She hadn't cried or screamed out the entire time, and there wasn't any bodily harm from what I could see.

But that was also a trait Erasers had: It took a lot to kill them. Could she be like us; on the run from the School? We'd never know.

Turning my back to the sense, I led my family away. There was a mantra we've followed that's kept us alive: only trust us.

 **Angel:**

When Max started to leave, Fang, Nudge, and Gazzy solemnly trailed behind her, Nudge tapping the back of Iggy's wrist to inform him that we were going. I hung back, eyes filled with curiosity.

The Labcoats had developed a way to keep mind-readers like me out of their heads, but this girl.. Her mind felt different. It wasn't absent –I still detected her presence-. It was more like there was a filter on everything before a code encrypted her thoughts and memories. Nothing to tell me if she posed a threat trickled out, but…

For some reason, I just _knew_ she wasn't here to hurt us.

'… _out of nowhere. Could she be a rouge experiment?...'_

'… _need to inform Mrs. Holtz. Maybe they could use her to make better subjects, unlike the escaped avian group…'_

'… _What are you?...'_

These thoughts reached me from the people gapping at the collision. They were definitely working for the School; not Erasers, but not scientists. So it seemed she was unfortunate and caught their interest like she had gained my own. What did they plan to do with her?

Probably kidnap her and take her back to the institution.

Slightly sympathetic, I grimaced as the paramedics loaded her up on a gurney and into the back of an EMS vehicle. If I tried to help her, the three who worked with that god-awful place were sure to figure out who I was. All I could do was hope they killed her instead of doing unspeakable things, but I highly doubted that.

' _Good luck..'_


End file.
